20 ASL signs all cops should know

These video clips are intended to help you while you wait for an interpreter to arrive

By PoliceOne Staff

At some point in your law enforcement career, you may need to communicate with a deaf or hard of hearing person during the course of your duties. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about 2 percent of adults between 45 and 54 have disabling hearing loss. The rate increases to 8.5 percent in adults between 55 and 64, nearly 25 percent for those between 65 and 74, and 50 percent for those who are 75 and older. The same report notes that about 28.8 million Americans could benefit from using hearing aids.

These video clips are intended to help you communicate with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing while you wait for an interpreter to arrive on the scene. All of these come from the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. If you’d like to learn additional ASL signs after you’ve mastered the ones below, you can find more on their website. For more tips and resources for contacts with deaf subjects, click here.